Floor



eb. 4, 1936. R. H. MccAR'rHY FLOOR Filed April 13,. 1954 Fl G.

/NvE/vrofe R. H. Mc CARTHV Br UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLOOR Y Rollin H. McCarthy, Manhasset, N. Y., assigner to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 13, 1934, Serial No. 720,380

Claims.

This invention relates to a floor and more particularly to a unitary floor adapted for use in telephone booths and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a principal floor member for a telephone booth or the like, substantially unitary in structure, adapted to be preformed in a simple manner, and adapted to be easily and conveniently Vassembled with other preformed members into a tight, solid booth structure.

With the above and other objects in view one embodiment of the invention may present a floor structure for a telephone booth or the like comprising a U-shaped frame unit of` sheet metal having horizontal flanges to the under sides" of which are .attached as by welding cross ties of sheet metal which serve to space the sides of the U rigidly and and also serve as feet for the finished structure. The frame unit also has integral vertical flanges to be attached to vertical side and rear Wall units of the booth. A solid floor member proper of concrete, magnesite mixture, artificial resin or other suitable plastic having a flat floor portion, an upstanding integral peripheral flange along the sides and rear and an integral rounded nose or tread along its front edge is preformed and laid on the frame to be* supported thereby. Preformed curb pieces interfitted at the corner joints may be provided resting on the peripheral flanges along the sides and rear. A grooved or ship-lap joint may b made between the floor proper and the curb pieces. The preformed metal frame and the premolded floor member and curbs are so proportioncd and related that when the booth is assembled recesses are formed between the vertical flanges of the frame and the curbs and the peripheral flanges of the floor member predeterminedly dimensioned to receive and t the preformed side and rear Wall units of the booth.

Gther objects and characteristic features of the invention will appear from the following detailed' description of an embodiment of the invention, in` which the same reference numerals are applied to identical parts in the several iigures and in which Fig. l is a broken view in perspective of the lower portion of a telephone booth or the like constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view on the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line i of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged broken view in perspective of one end of one of the side curbs.

In the embodiment of the invention herein, disclosedr a generally U-shaped frame 20 of sheet metal has horizontal inwardly extending flanges 2l and vertical side and rear flanges 22 adapted to form a footing and a backing respectively for the preformed side and rear wall units 23 and 24 of a telephone booth or the like of any suitable construction. 'Ihe side members of the U- frame are rigidly tied together and spaced apart by one or more cross members 25 welded or otherwise attached to the horizontal flanges 2| of the frame. Each cross tie 25 is offset at each end by the thickness ofthe flanges 2| so that when the tie is in place the upper surface of the tie and of the flanges 2l are substantially in one plane. Each tie 25 may further be provided with one or more downwardly projecting feet 26 formed integrally with the tie by being embossed therein or formed by welding disks or blocks of metal to the under side of the tie, in such fashion that thebottoms of the feet and the under surfaces of the offset extremities of the ties are substantially in one plane. Thus this metal frame is a rigid strong and light unit which can be simply and easily preformed for subsequent assembly with other preformed units.

A floor unit proper 21 is premolded of some suitable plastic material such as concrete, a magnesite mixture, an artificial resin, cellulose acetate, .a hard rubber compound, or the like. This unit is essentially a flat slab preferably having an integral upturned flange 28 along its side and rear edges and a downturned nose or rounded tread or sill 29 along its front edge. The upper surface of the flange 28 is preferably formed with a rabbetted contour as shown to form a ship-lap joint with the curb units to be described later.

i This floor unit 21 is so dimensioned and proportioned that when it is in position on the frame 2B continuous slot like recesses 30 are provided between the anges 28 of the floor unit and the flanges 22 of the frame of predetermined dimension to snugly receive and fit the lower ends of the preconstructed side and rear wall units 23 and 24.

A right hand curb member 3|, a left hand curb member 32, and a rear curb member 33 are premolded of the same material as the floor unit 21 for assembly therewith as shown. Preferably the bottom edge of each of these members is rabbetted as shown to effect a ship-lap joint with the top surface of the flanges 28 to prevent intrusion of rain Water, scrubbing solutions and the like into the recesses 30. The rear curb mem- 55 ber 33 has straight vertical ends which abut against the inner faces of the side wall units 23. The rear end of each of the side curb members 3| and 32 is molded, as shown in Fig. 5, to t the front face of the rear curb member against which the side curb members abut.

The floor frame unit, floor unit proper, and three curb members described provide a floor assembly for telephone booths and the like which is characterized by simplicity both of manufacture andassembly and by strength and rigidity 1n use.

If desired the mixture from which the floor unit 21 is formed may have an admixture of some coarsely crushed abrasive material such as carborundum or the like to provide an anti-slipping surface especially on the curved surface of the sill 29.

The curb members 3l, 32 and 33 may be formed with a broad shallow relief groove 34 to assist in maintaining Vclose contact between the upper edges of the curb members and the wall units. The curb members may also be attached to the wall units with screws 35 or by other means if desired.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is illustrative only and may be widely modified and departed from without departing from Vthe spirit and scope of the invention as pointed out in and limited only by the appended claims.

Thus in some instances the curb members might be omitted or mightV be formed as integral extensions of the flanges 28 of the floor unit 21, or ofthe wall units.

What is claimed is:

1. A oor unit comprising a unitary frame having an upstanding peripheral flange, and a preformed floor unit associated with the frame and having an upstanding peripheral flange predeterminedly spaced from the peripheral ange of the frame unit.

2. A floor unit comprising a unitary frame having an upstanding peripheral flange, a preformed floor unit associated with the frame and having an upstanding peripheral ange predeterminedly spaced from the peripheral flange of the frame unit, and a preformed curb member abutted against the flange of the oor unit.

3. In a floor unit, a unitary frame comprising a U-shaped principal member and a cross tie, and a unitary preformed rigid oor unit supported on the frame and comprising a at slab like principal portion and a peripheral upstanding flange integral therewith.

4. In a floor structure for telephone booths and the like, a unitary frame unit comprising a substantially rectangularly U-shaped principal member of sheet metal having inwardly horizontally extending flanges and peripheral vertically extending flanges, and a cross tie of sheet metal attached at either end to the horizontal anges of the principal member and having its upper surface substantially in the same plane with the upper surface of the horizontal flanges, in cornbination with a preformed floor unit of plastic material having a flat slab-like principal portion and upstanding peripheral flanges integral therewith, the upstanding flanges 0f the floor unit and of the frame unit being parallel and predeterminedly spaced apart.

5. In a floor structure for telephone booths and the like, a unitary frame unit comprising a substantially rectangularly U-shaped principal member of sheet metal having inwardly horizontally extending flanges and peripheral vertically extending anges, and a cross tie of sheet metal attached at either end to the horizontal flanges of the principal member and having its upper surface substantially in the same plane with the upper surface of the horizontal flanges, in combination with a preformed floor unit of plastic material having a flat slab-like principal portion and upstanding peripheral flanges integral therewith, the upstanding flanges of the iioor unit and of the frame unit being parallel and predeterminedly spaced apart, and curb members abutted against the ange of the floor unit.

6. A unitary floor frame for telephone booths and the like comprising a substantially rectangularly U-shaped principal member of sheet metal having a horizontal inwardly vextending flange and a peripheral vertically extending flange, in combination with a cross tie rigidly secured thereto and having the ends thereof offset so that the upper surfaces of the cross tie and of the horizontal flange of the principal member lie in one plane.

7. A oor structure for telephone booths and the like, comprising a U-shaped metal frame, and a floor member having a flat slab-like body portion resting at the edge portions only on the frame and bridged across the open center thereof and an upstanding peripheral ange and a down turned sill portion all formed as one integral mass premolded of plastic material.

8. In a floor structure for telephone booths and the like, a frame unit having a substantially plane upper surface and a peripheral upwardly extending flange, in combination with an independently preformed rigid floor unit also-having a peripheral upwardlyextending flange, the two v flanges coacting to present a wall receiving recess.

9. In a floor structure for telephone booths and the like, a frame unit of sheet metal having a substantially plane upper surface and a peripheral upwardly extending flange, in combination with an independently preformed floor unit of plastic material also having a peripheral upwardly extending ange, the two flanges coacting to present a wall receiving recess.

10. A floor structure for telephone booths and the like, comprising a U-shaped metal frame and a oor member having a at rigid slab-like body portion resting at the edge portions thereof only on the frame and bridged across the open center of the frame and an upstanding peripheral flange and a down turned sill portion all formed as one integral mass premolded of plastic material and containing an admixture of abrasive material.

ROLIJN H. MCCARTHY. 

